CAPE TOWN - Tributes continue to pour in for late Struggle veteran and former deputy minister of DIRCO Ebrahim Ebrahim, who died on Monday morning following a long illness. He was 84.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveyed its condolences to the family of one of its most revered Struggle stalwarts, “a paragon of human courage and resilience in the Struggle for justice and social emancipation".
“The SACP also conveys its condolences to the ANC, the entire liberation movement as well as the people of South Africa for the loss of a cadre who selflessly and diligently served the nation,” it said.
“As a child, Comrade Ebrahim twice witnessed his father's arrest and deportation from the Transvaal for crossing the provincial border into Natal without a permit. This would have an impact on him, and from then on, he would become a committed and trusted part of the liberation movement.
“Comrade Ebrahim’s anti-apartheid activism, particularly since officially joining the movement in 1952, taking part in the Defiance Campaign at only 15 years of age, remains an example and inspiration to the people of South Africa.
Before the Defiance Campaign, Comrade Ebrahim was already distributing leaflets, rallying community members to oppose the racist regime and join the liberation Struggle.”
The SACP said Ebrahim’s non-racial approach to the Struggle saw him actively participating in the preparations for the Congress of the People through the National Indian Congress, as the chairperson of its Greyville branch elected in 1954.
Ebrahim was arrested in 1963 and charged under the Sabotage Act with 18 other accused in the Pietermaritzburg Sabotage Trial and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in Robben Island.
After receiving banning and restriction orders, he went into exile, operating from the front-line states in the underground.
On December 15, 1986, apartheid agents kidnapped Ebrahim from Swaziland and brought him to South Africa, where he was severely tortured.
He was later charged with treason, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“Comrade Ebrahim’s fight against this injustice culminated in the 1991 internationally celebrated landmark State v Ebrahim court judgment in the Appellate Division – now Supreme Court of Appeal – which struck down the abduction as a violation of rules of international law, particularly on extradition.
“Ebrahim’s unlawful extradition exposed the apartheid regime’s policy of abduction of liberation fighters from across the border, and particularly in Swaziland.
It also exposed the Swazi state’s role in co-operation and connivance with the apartheid regime in such abductions and attacks on our liberation movement, for which justice has never been attained,” the SACP said
The ANC described Ebrahim as “a patriot who served his country in different capacities with humility, dedication and distinction".
Freelance writer and activist Suraya Dadoo said: “While Ebrahim Ebrahim’s contribution to South Africa’s liberation Struggle is well-known, his true legacy lies in the way he has generously and patiently shared his vast experience and knowledge with younger activists like myself and with people still working for their liberation, like the Palestinian and Saharawi people.”
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation also described Ebrahim’s life as “one of courage, characterised by the spirit of sacrifice".
Affectionately known as “Ebie” to his comrades, Ebrahim had a long, illustrious career in politics.
In an interview with Independent Media in July, Ebrahim detailed how as a young Indian boy, joining the Struggle for liberation at 14 years old was hard, but even then, he persevered, participating in the Congress of the People Campaign.
From 1956, he volunteered to work for the weekly newspaper, New Age, which popularised the goals and achievements of the liberation Struggle.
He spent all his free time selling copies at Durban bus ranks after school and at rallies and meeting places on Saturdays and Sundays.
Ebrahim was among the first comrades recruited into MK in Natal in 1961 and joined MK’s Natal High Command.
As a young saboteur, he commanded an MK unit that carried out several successful acts of sabotage against government installations, at great risk to his personal safety. At no time did MK target civilians.
Speaking of Ebrahim, former president Nelson Mandela said at a lunch celebrating his release from Robben Island in 1991: “Ebrahim emerged as one of the most outstanding pillars of the movement, who was not only committed and loyal, but who had the ability to explain the policies of the organisation.”
Ebrahim also served as the parliamentary counsellor to the Leader of Government Business (Deputy President) for a portion of the Fifth Parliament.
Some of the awards he has received include the Military Veterans Decoration in Platinum in 2012, in recognition of his sacrifices made to bring about peace, democracy and freedom in South Africa.
He leaves behind his widow Shannon, his children, family members and his beloved comrades.
Cape Times